La Cúpula, the signature restaurant located in the Jardines de Nivaria Hotel, has been under the management of Rubén Cabrera since November 2007, offering diners unique and creative dishes, mixing local and international products. We want you to get to know our chef in detail.

Why do you like this job?

What I like the most is creating dishes, everything that is creating things that are not established as a traditional recipe. So, what I really like is creativity, innovating in the kitchen and making each dish unique.

How do you define success?

I wouldn’t know how to define success, because I don’t think I’m ready for it, I don’t consider myself to have been successful or because it doesn’t fit into my way of understanding what I do, for me what I do is my job and I like it. In other words, I don’t consider that we have been successful because we have a Sol or because I was champion at the time, I think we are talking about other people’s success.

If you don’t define your work as successful, what word would you use?

I see it as personal satisfaction when I see the customers who come to enjoy the food and leave the restaurant satisfied.

How do you define failure?

I think we are talking about a different kind of failure, because we don’t fail when we make mistakes. Not getting it right or not doing it well, or a customer not liking a dish is a circumstance because there are so many tastes, so many ways of looking at food that what seems wonderful to you seems a little less wonderful to someone else. So failure in the kitchen, I don’t see it.

What did you learn from this particular job?

Well, in the job at La Cúpula, I learned that you have to be demanding, that you always have to be at your best, because the client’s standards with you are going to be very high and you always have to be very alert to improve. Don’t stay at a standstill in order to continue to prosper and know that what seems fantastic to you today and you think is very good, maybe in a year’s time is a bit out of date, so you have to keep updating yourself, improving and pushing yourself.

If you could have the perfect job, what would it be?

For me the job I have is perfect and many people would like to work in a place where they can have creative freedom and where you are valued for what you do, in that respect I am very happy.

What is your greatest achievement being the Chef of “La Cúpula”?

The greatest achievement that I think I have been able to obtain in the restaurant is that people recognise you for a specific job, that is, that you have specialised in a job and that everyone when they see one of your dishes says: “No, that dish is from La Cúpula“. That people identify you by a type of cuisine, by a type of decoration on the plate and that you feel that your “brand” is recognised.

To be continued…